With only a 3 percent chance to win the first overall draft pick and generally long odds to move up from the team’s #11 starting point, the two-part NHL Draft Lottery on Saturday set up to be a boring ho-hum affair.

When the Hurricanes did not appear at #11 in the backwards countdown, the even suddenly became much more interesting. Not appearing at #11 meant that the Hurricanes had moved into the top 3. The news set Twitter abuzz and made the second part of the draft lottery later in the night a ‘can’t miss’ for Canes fans who were aware of what was happening.

When the Montreal Canadiens logo came up first, either the Carolina Hurricanes or the Buffalo Sabres were going to win the first overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft and with it the right to draft the consensus best player in the draft in Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The Hurricanes did not win the final showdown, but in winning the #2 overall pick, the team gained a sizable upgrade from its original #11 starting point and also the ability to select the best forward available in the draft.

That opportunity is the subject of today’s Daily Cup of Joe which also includes a few polls for the first time in awhile to cue up a Monday Coffee Shop at the same time.

Personal disclaimer and broader forewarning as we enter draft season

We are quickly approaching that time of year when people who track draft age prospects exactly none for months on end, read a couple articles and quickly declare themselves up to expert level for assessing draft prospects. My all-time favorite for this category was the group who went bananas (in a negative way) over the Hurricanes selection of Sebastian Aho in the second round over a few more known North American options with size only to quickly be corrected that the Aho they were putting down (the defenseman from Sweden) was not even the right one. Try to find that group now.

I am firmly in the category who does not have the hockey time to track the 100s of draft-level prospects during the year, so I mostly defer to those who do in assessing, rating and ranking them.

Sizing up the options

Among the experts who track the prospects, the #1 overall pick is about as unanimous as you can get with Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin slated to go #1 overall to the Buffalo Sabres.

That leaves the Carolina Hurricanes with the opportunity to nab the top forward in a draft that has some good options in that category.

If one canvasses the draft experts, the decision is not as clear cut after Dahlin, but there is still a reasonable consensus for draft order that sees the Hurricanes choosing between three enticing wings.

What about the possibility of trading the pick?

At a basic principal level, I am not generally a fan of trading away first round picks for roster players. For gaining immediate help and a sure thing, a team gives up the potential of finding an elite talent. I am more open to trading mid to later round picks simply because the probability of finding an elite talent decreases significantly. But now sitting at #2, the Hurricanes have the potential to land an elite player.

I get the fact that the team could really benefit by adding another high-end offensive player to the lineup. But in terms of adding a truly elite player, I would argue that the #2 draft pick actually represents a greater chance than the trade market for that pick. The players likely to be available are good, proven NHL players but mostly a notch below the elite level. And with the fast track that most elite players are on today, the potential is there, especially at the forward player to get that from an 18-year old.

So for the next two months, the possibility of the Hurricanes trading down to add immediate help will be bandied around endlessly and reach a fever pitch leading up to the draft. But if any version of common sense prevails, I think it will all be nonsense.

The team needs elite scoring. The #2 selection actually represents the best chance to find that. And he comes in the form of a young player who is also on a three-year entry-level contract for peanuts. You do not trade that.

The Martin Necas ties for Filip Zadina

An interesting angle on the options is Filip Zadina’s ties to 2017 first-rounder Martin Necas. As cool as the possibility of having a Czech line with teenagers Zadina and Necas is to go with the Finnish duo of Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen, I would not use this as much more than a tie-breaker for the Hurricanes’ selection. For a high stakes draft pick like this, the objective is very simple. Select the player most likely to become an elite NHL player. If the Hurricanes scouting staff sincerely believes that Zadina is a better player than Svechnikov or Tkachuk, then by all means, they should take him. But if Svechnikov (or someone else) rates higher, I would not take the second best player because of chemistry or country ties.

Free form thoughts on the 2018 draft and the Hurricanes #2 overall selection? Go!

Go Canes!

54 Comments

ctcaniac
on April 30, 2018 at 6:38 am

Two things:

1) From my perspective the 2OA may be better for the Canes. Svechnikov may not be quite at the level of “generational talent” that Dahlin is, but many scouts (and for me just as interestingly, three data driven projections) argue that he is a scorer on par with Laine. Carolina has two (Slavin and Hanifina) defensemen, and possibilities for a third (Pesce or Bean), who may one day get Norris consideration. As much as I think Aho is only scratching his potential, I don’t know he will ever compete for the Maurice Richard Trophy. Bottom line is that an elite scorer is more of a need for the next 5-10 years.

2) Of the nine years being outside the playoffs, this is one that–dare I say it–I am suddenly enjoying. Getting into the top 3 picks could be much more important moving forward than having the team get some playoff experience. I would argue that what happened benefited Carolina more than getting bounced quickly benefitted Philly or NJ. The Checkers continue play only makes it more enjoyable.

I agree completely with ctcaniac. Getting Svechnikov makes this horrendous season worth it. I’ve seen comparisons of him to Laine, Kovalchuk, Ovechkin and Hossa. If they are somewhat reasonable comparisons this could be a franchise changing event.

This will give Canes more flexibility and options for off season personnel decisions as well as potentially making GM and coaching job more appealing.

Zadina is going to be a good player too but he should not be our choice just because of his history w Necas.

Svechnikov may be the right pick at #2, but you have to consider more than just scouts. Scouts are good at judging talent, but what about character, work ethic, etc? Scouts fail at that regularly. When I hear “elite goal scorer” I unfortunately also hear “plays no defense.” I hope that isn’t the case with Svecnikov, but if it is, pass. I want to see the Canes built to win a championship, not score goals and put butts in the seats. Quoting Mike Babcock, “you can’t outscore your mistakes in this league.”

My main issue with Zadina is he plays in a weak league. The Quebec league has deteriorated quite a bit over the past decade or so. Higher chance that he is a bust, or will take a couple years to be ready.

That brings us to Tkachuk. What makes him interesting to me is that he is exactly the kind of player the Canes need. Big body, big motor and he plays hard in all three zones. The Canes have guys that can finish, but they don’t have players that can create and make room for them. I think both Aho and TT would salivate about playing with a guy like Tkachuk. Tkachuk is also the lowest risk pick IMO. Unless the injury bug bites he will be a very good player for a very long time.

If the former regime were still in charge I would have bet the house they wouldn’t take the Russian. It’s how they rolled. It’s probably why we have Hanifin instead of the superior Provorov. With the new owner/GM those days are probably over. Butts in the seats seems to be very important, so I expect Svechnikov is the pick. Hope he is more than an “elite goal scorer,” or we are in for a lot more disappointment over the years.

Tkachuk is a playmaker. We need someone to… Finnish… the opportunities that our two best offensive players create. Svechnikov has the best shot in the draft. His release is just filthy. Plus he’s silky smooth. And Zadina is also a pure sniper, he had a comparable season to Nico Hischier. For the same team. In the same league. Hischier looks like he might be ok. 20 goals and 32 assists as a rookie is a pretty nice bar.

Disagree totally. Hockey players win championships, not goal scorers. The examples are numerous. Nashville, San Jose, Tampa Bay, Boston, and you could even include Pittsburgh aren’t teams with “elite goal scorers.” They have elite hockey players. It’s not that their players can’t or don’t score, it’s that they play a complete game and the scoring comes with the package. Concentrating on goal scoring talent can get you in a lot of trouble.

I don’t know where Svechnikov stands as a complete player, but the brief looks I’ve taken suggests he may be just that. If he has a two way game like Hischier he is a no brainer. Zadina on the other hand looks less balanced. I would take Tkachuk ahead of him. Tkachuk is more than a playmaker. He is a load! He is a guy that you win championships with.

Ok and I disagree totally because Svechnikov and Zadina are more TALENTED and have higher ceilings and a better chance of being elite players. Tkachuk could very easily be a marginal offensive player that’s a pest. On the other hand I am wholly confident Svechnikov will score 40 goals a couple years from now and be the next Russian star.

And yes, Svechnikov gets extremely high marks in scouting circles, from teammates, coaches, etc. for his leadership, work ethic (not always there with Russian players, one of the things that scares many teams off), two way game, and instincts. He’s just a really good, smooth hockey player with a great shot, good speed, and has good size and is willing to play a heavy game in the corners to boot. He throws his 6’3 frame around a good bit, and though he’s listed at around 185-190 pounds he could fill out and be a true menace. He already plays a pretty solid power forward game using his size and skating to dominate even in the NHL. I like Tkachuk, don’t get me wrong. He would bring an element this team needs, grit and nastiness. But it’s easier to find grit and nastiness than elite talent. I just don’t think you can pass up on a guy that draws comparisons to the Kucherovs, Tarasenkos, Laines, and Malkins of the world.

lessthanstable
on April 30, 2018 at 12:03 pm

Again, much more to hockey than scoring goals. I see little limit to Tkachuk’s talent. At best he could be a nasty version of Joe Thorton. That would be pretty awesome.

Svechnikov may be the man, but just because he scores goals would be the wrong reason.

RedRyder
on April 30, 2018 at 2:33 pm

I’m with you on this bwstanley26. I want an elite scorer with this pick. I don’t want some hybrid pest player with this particular pick. We can get grit from other sources much easier than obtaining an elite scorer. The Russian is an elite talent that stands the best chance of bolstering the scoring needs of this team. No need taking a flyer on a lesser talent because he has “grit” IMO.

tenininumee
on April 30, 2018 at 2:56 pm

So it sounds as if you’re describing Jeff Skinner as well as Svechnikov as an elite scorer but not an elite hockey player. Right?

I am asking a question about Svechnikov. I don’t know what kind of player he is. Hopefully he plays a full game. I am definitely describing Jeff Skinner as a “scorer” and not a hockey player.

breezy
on April 30, 2018 at 8:12 am

I think the Russian factor is a legitimate concern.
Anybody remembers Nichushkin, Russian sniper winger that was supposed to go in the top 3, fell to somewhere around 10 (was picked by the Stars), didn’t perform and bolted to Russia?
Nail Yakipov, overall concensus #1 pick that was a bad bust in Edmunton and was picked up as a UFA to play on the third line, I think it was in Colorado.
Then there is Mikael Grekerenco, I think he’s Russian (or maybe American born Russian), another overall disappointment.
Kovalchuk signed a massive deal with the Devils, only to jump ship and disappear to Russia.
And I will refrain from mentioning the S word.

Of course national stereotyping is not fair, and we’re seeing Ovechkin and Malkin tear it up in the playoffs, but there seems to be a bit of an extra risk factor with the Russian players.
Our guy has size and seems to play hard, so it doesn’t sound like the case of a pure goal scorer, more the case of an all around gifted player, which is what the Canes need.

But he looks like the sensible pick, unless our scouting staff has more information that points to one of the other two. Then it leaves the door open for trading down a slot or two if the cAnes can still get their desried forward and obtain something extra from one of the two teams below us, as I suggest elsewhere. It’s probably a stretch, but we can’t leave any Stone unturned for this season.

Things are changing though. Svechnikov has spent the last few years in North America. That helps with culture and language. There are great young Russians in the NHL. If this guy is the next Kucherov they should sprint to the stage to pick him. If he’s the next Ovechkin…..

His brother plays for Detroit organization and his parents moved over here to be closer to his brother already. There are very strong family ties to stay in NA, so I doubt he pulls the KHL card as he is a slam dunk to make the NHL.

1. I have no idea, and I’m not going to pretend I know anything about draft-eligible prospects. However, I do think it would be cool to have a Finnish-ing line and a Czech-ing line. 🙂
2. IMHO, trading the no. 2 pick would be foolish, which is exactly why I’m a bit worried that the Canes might do it.
3. Thank God it’s baseball season.

It certainly was a lot of fun to watch MTL’s logo go before ours to give us that brief moment of possibility for getting the first pick.

The last few 2nd picks have been Nolan Patrick, Patrick Laine, Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and Alex Barkov – most years there has been an obvious #2 – but odds are we get a player that contributes quickly and for a long time. I wouldn’t go so far to say that it’s franchise-changing, but it’ll definitely decrease the odds of whiffing on Round 1.

I have no idea who to pick; until Saturday, I had no idea who was even in this draft other than Dahlin.

Let’s say the player we take is NHL-ready next year: how many rookies might we have in our lineup if some combination of Zykov, Necas, Foegele, Wallmark, McKeown are also ready? Figuring out how to construct the lineup to win now while preserving depth in the system is going to be an interesting challenge for the next brain-trust.

Saturday was a great day to be a Canes fan! We haven’t been able to say that a lot recently… I literally jumped off the couch when they flipped over the #11 card to reveal the Islanders! I almost feel like landing #2 was best possible scenario. I think Buffalo deserved #1 and now we both get to draft exactly what we need.

I will preface my next comments by saying I had not done any more than cursory reading about the top prospects until we won Saturday but I firmly believe that Andrei Svechnikov is the clear choice here. He is a big body, skates really well, is a scoring machine, and is said to be responsible defensively. I’ve seen him being compared to Laine, Ovechkin, Kucherov, and Tarasenko. He is exactly what the Canes need right now! I saw an interesting graphic in a youtube video comparing Svechnikov and Zadina and it showed that Svech scores from everywhere on the ice; put him with an elite playmaker like Aho and good things are bound to happen. There is always going to be more risk associated with drafting Russian players but I don’t think it applies to Svech. He’s already been in NA a few years and his brother who was drafted in 2015 is in the Red Wings system.

Zadina is going to be a great player in the NHL but I don’t believe he is in the same tier as Svechnikov. He had an amazing WJC that has really boosted his standing but he got significantly more ice time than Svechnikov did and the rest of his numbers aren’t even close despite playing in a weaker QMJHL.

Tkachuk shouldn’t even be in the conversation at #2. He’s going to be a really good NHLer but it doesn’t seem like he has the same elite potential as Svechnikov and Zadina.

I can’t imagine trading this pick and will be incredibly disappointed if we do and don’t absolutely fleece someone in the process. In my mind this pick could really be a major turning point in the franchise but with all of the change and unrest going on right now I will be more than a little nervous until after the draft.

I think he is the most versatile scorer hands down. This graphic comparing where he and Zadina score from says a lot; he obviously isn’t afraid to get in the dirty spots but can still light it up from the dots. Add in elite level skating and speed and he will pair nicely with Aho or Necas.

My level of expertise in evaluating young hockey prospects is nil as I am sure all of you are aware. So I won’t attempt to evaluate which prospect we should select. My main concern is I don’t want the team to trade this pick unless we have determined all of the top 4 rated players have been over rated and are not elite prospects. I do believe our principal need is for an elite scoring forward. Ability to score GOALS should be our top priority. All the other traits are secondary and represent IMO over analyzing the situation. For example, Phil Kessel is a scorer that every team would love to have (except Toronto who used him and Phaneuf as scapegoats for lousy management). No one would worry about what his level of toughness or defensive prowess as long as it is not significantly miserable.

Despite my Russian worries, I’m totally on the Svech bandwagon.
Like you guys said, Provorov has been totally awesome for the Bluejackets and Tampa Bay can’t exactly complain about their Russian experience either.
We need a big body right winger who can score, we have a perfect fit.
I too felt that #2 pick was the best case scenario. I think the Canes need a forward with potential to jump right in and score more than they need a defenseman, but with a #1 pick there is no question who you should take this year, so the Canes would end up with a defenseman, albeit a potentially Franchise changing one.
I think getting that distraction out of the way the scouts can focus on picking the best forward out of a pretty impressive group of 3.
I hope management focuses on other issues, rather than triing to do too much with the first round pick.
And I have to say I would not vote Adam Gold for GM, he wants to go American and safe and has had some other rather outrageous trade proposals over on WRAL, I like his writing style though, but disagree with his choices.

Like most everyone else, the only things about these prospects that I think I know are learned from reading what others have written. The scouts are very good at assessing skill sets, with very specific metrics to contribute to the analytics.

Where it gets more interesting are the so called “intangibles”. What is the players work ethic? Do his teammates respect him? For two examples, first consider Rod Brind’Amour. He was not the fastest skater or most skilled finisher, but his work ethic, compete level, and commitment to his craft made him a beloved legend and Stanley Cup champion.

As a second example, contrast Crosby and Ovechkin. The data indicates that Ovie is the more skilled finisher, with 600-odd goals to Crosby’s 400-odd. Both are team captains. However, Crosby has 3 Stanley Cups and Ovechkin has none.

As some cynically say, Crosby is the last to leave practice and Ovechkin is the last to leave the party.

So I accept that the various ranking services are very good at assessing skill sets, and then read about character issues. Surprisingly, what I love about Svechnikov are the intangibles, as written up across various sources. His commitment to the sport, work ethic, desire to improve is reportedly an inspiration to his team mates. The love the guy. To get a player with both high end skills and a humble blue collar work ethic would be a great haul indeed.

Excited about the opportunity for #2 overall. Don’t know enough about the prospect pool to have an strong opinion, other than introductory commentary from the Craig Button’s of the world who study this all year. I’m confident our scouts and decision-making group will be vetting all applicable prospects and make the right choice for the team.

I will say our top 6 just got better regardless who we select. Our offseason planning may have more focus knowing we’ll likely draft a top flight wing. Whether we stay at #2 or trade back to #3 or #4 and still obtain the player we want plus more assets (my gut says we stay at #2), I’ll be pleased to see this process play out.

This is an unbelievable turn of fortune for the franchise. This certainly may change the future of the organization. With Necas coming next year as well, we may be adding 2 top 3 forwards to our mix. Not often that happens. If Svechnikov is who the scouts say he is, then you have to pick him. Elite goal scorers are the most difficult commodity to find next to goalies. We can’t pass up the opportunity. We have plenty of depth players and secondary pieces in the system. This is the missing element and if we get it right, we will realize RFs vision of being playoff relevant for many years.

I was very excited when our name did not come up on the #11 pick. It would have been nice to get #1, but #2 is incredible. I find myself like most others. We are all arm chair GMs and I know I am not too good about assessing talent. I thought Darling was going to be the answer. It was elated when we signed Semin. Sometimes things do not turn out the way you planned. I believe that the scouts will have a much better assessment. I did spend time prior to the draft looking at who I felt would help the team but I was never looking at the 1 through 3 positions. So, I started looking at who were the top picks after the lottery.

Its actually good we did not get #1 because we would have gone for Dahlin. We already have pretty good personnel of our D who will only get better. We seriously need a scorer. I do believe that Svechnikov is the best choice. Filip Zadina and Brady Tkachuk are seriously good but they do not appear to have the scoring that Svechnikov. I know there was talk about his defensive capability but that looks good as well. The only negative I see is the Russian factor but he has already been residing in the west. Its always a gamble but I do not think he would be over here if he were not serious about begin in the NHL.

There is no way in the world I would trade this pick. How often do we get a chance to be in the top 3. I did see a comment about trading down with Montreal but still staying the top 3 and maybe getting patch. Maybe that makes sense but no way would I give up a top 3 elite scorer when that is what we have been needing forever. Very many of the top teams have a 1 through 3 pick and we never have (recently). You see what happened when we got Eric S. at #2. We got seriously lucky, don’t blow it. Get us a franchise player for the future.

I am not a scout but my vote is Svechnikov. His history says he has not positioned himself to bolt to the KHL.

So I still think chemistry is underrated. If Svechnikov is an A and Zadina is an A-, I personally would take Zadina. That said, everything I’ve heard and read said that the gap is larger than that, making Svech the obvious call, but that’s just my two cents.

Two things though:
1. His juniors stats are great, but his brother of similar size put up similar stats two years ago when he was drafted by Detroit in the 1st round. Two seasons in, he has not broken into the lineup yet. Obviously not anything to write Svech off for, but worth noting.

2. I looked up where he was from to see if he and Zykov would have some home stories, and I don’t think you’ll have much to worry about from him bolting. His hometown isn’t anywhere near Zykov’s St. Petersburg, but assuming he isn’t half-popsicle, I’m guessing he’d enjoy Raleigh, over Barnaul in Siberia. At least weather wise.

Honestly I think we are in a weird win-win situation. Svech seems to be the higher talent, but its hard to see how we lose by putting Necas-Zadina together as well. One might work out slightly better than the other, but we just lucked into a golden situation.

Just saying. As far as the 2017-18 season is concerned it was better to be lucky than good. The foundation is laid, the build up begins.

Nooo no. Can’t use his brother to compare. Evgeny played in the Q, which is a slight step down from the O, and scored 32 goals (78 points) in 55 games his draft year. That’s 1.42 PPG, and 0.58 Goals/pg. Andrei, on the other hand, played in the OHL which is probably the best of the CHL leagues, had 40-32-72 in just 44 games (.91 Goals/game, 1.63 ppg), and lead the entire LEAGUE in Primary points per game at 1.45. Only 8 of his 72 points were secondary assists. There are some really good articles out there that underscore just how valuable he is as a player in areas that go beyond the scoresheet, but the impact there as well is obviously massive too. He’s just really, really good in basically every area. Not a ton of flash, just a ton of production. And also, Evgeny is only 21 years old and scored 20 goals with 51 points his rookie year in the AHL before battling injuries this past year. He’s still got a decent chance of being a decent NHLer. Regardless, that really shouldn’t have that big an effect on where Andrei goes or how he’s evaluated.

Why can’t I use his brother to compare? Don’t they have legitimately the same DNA? They’re the same size as well. I mean I’m not the Hurricanes scouting department, I gotta use the tools I have at my disposal. And while I do agree that the OHL is the slightly superior league, and I’m not saying any of this to say we shouldn’t draft Svech. My point is simply that it’s not entirely a cut-and-dry matter as the hockey pundits would have us believe. I think Svech will be the choice and rightly so, but there are plenty of valid arguments for Zadina, even if there are more for the Russian.

At the end of the day our scouts have been right waaaaay more than they’ve been wrong of late, so whoever they pick will be the right option in my opinion, but there are a lot of details that will be considered, which is my main point. And I’m hoping they turn over every stone, and explore every avenue in the determination of who the best forward for the Hurricanes is.

Regardless, it will be really hard for us to screw up this pick no matter who we draft. It will be a benefit either way. All good from the eternal optimist land.

Well you can use brothers from the DNA perspective to make a comparison. But just take a look at the Staal family as a good counter example – Eric and Jordan top end players, Marc a good-decent player, and then you have Jared Staal…

They all play at varying levels despite physical similarities and theres no denying they all have unique styles as well.

Actually the stats shifted my opinion from Zadina to Svech, as before I did my research I was huge on the Zadina bandwagon. I still think he’d be a good pick for us, even if Svech seems clearly to be the better one.
And holy heck are you right icecobra. What an amazing debate to have.
And yes the Staals have different styles of play, you are quite correct, but Jordan and Eric have been compared since they got into the league for better or worse. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to get a great hockey player regardless, and since Svech’s family lives here, we may not have to deal with any flight risk. I’m down for Svech let’s do this (I’m still okay with Zadina too…)

boogabob
on April 30, 2018 at 12:46 pm

I think it’s time for a cautionary note. Without a coach and their coaching system, not only will it be difficult to see how the draftee will fit into that system but also who gets elevated from the AHL. I thing before the draft we need a GM and Coach to evalute the prospects anf trade opportunities. Just my two cents. I would also like to see from the Stat guys on this blog hoe Necas statistics while he played in the Czech leagues to what Zadina has done. I believe this would speak volumes as to his ability.

Seems to be a no-brainer. How great is it that RW Svechnikov will get at least one season with Justin Williams as a mentor. Also, Elias Lindholm’s contract bargaining leverage this off-season may have been suddenly reduced.

So RF was officially sent on permanent vacation today. I would have preferred a more conciliatory parting of ways, simply a change in philosophy and direction that resulted in the new ownership going in a different direction and Francis free to look elsewhere for gainful employment or off into the sunset to the lake country. This feels more like getting escorted off of the premises. I wouldn’t say it was the best PR move by the new regime. I don’t think Dundon cares one bit but a loyal soldier (employee) who dedicated a good portion of their life to your organization deserves more than a kick out the door.

Yeah, that is a totally, pardon my French, shitty move by TD. There are a myriad of ways in which this could have been done with more dignity and appreciation for what RF has done for this franchize.
I’ve been positive on getting new ownership, injection of resources and a fresh perspective, but this is te first incident in which I feel offended by the new owner and think the move is tactless, to say the least. That was, something that rhymes with a “prick move” Tommy.

Let’s step back from the ledge for a second. I’m not bent out of shape about RF being officially let go (and I grew up a Whalers fan and love the player as much as the next guy). Besides, we all knew this was coming (the promotion to President was to allow him time to move on).

That said, none of us were behind closed doors or know any of the conversations that have taken place, and if we look at this subjectively, RF didn’t lead us to one playoff appearance in his 7-plus years of being around the front office. There is no direct blame here, it’s just a new owner who wants to shake things up. Dundon (because of his business nature) got quickly labeled by the media and old boys club and will never get a pass from them either side. I could care less what they think. I care about winning and we needed change. It’s now here and that makes me happy. Everything will fall into place, and people just need to realize doing things different is not necessarily wrong.

I would reserve judgement on the way Dundon has handled the situation with Ron Francis. The media in general has seemed to enjoy taking shots at Carolina. Local, national, and Canadian media from my reading are annoyed about hockey in Raleigh.
Ron Francis was a great player. He handled his role in the front office with unquestioned class. I hope he finds much future success. Yet it is unwarranted to blast Dundon when we don’t know the full story.
Dundon could have fired Francis at anytime. He chose to wait until after the season to fully dismiss him from the organization. I think Dundon is a sharp guy. He realized it would be tough to get his guy or his vision with Ronnie Franchise still part of the organization.
I have read such terms as chaos and disorder about the Canes offseason. I disagree with this view. I see an owner of an under achieving organization trying to change the culture. If Montreal or Edmonton had fired coach and GM the media would be raving about wonderful decisions made by those teams.
Will Dundon make perfect decisions on all personnel? Nope. Will he make tough choices to change the atmosphere of the club? Obviously. Give it time. Nine years to get where we are. Probably take more than six months to get it fixed.

I don’t disagree with the decision, I think it was justified.
It just feels unnecessarily abrupt; the owner did not issue a statemen and was not even available to comment on it.
I think it could have been handled with more tact.

We really do not know the conversations. RF could have totally pissed him off or it could be TD not respecting a long term employee. We probably will never know. When you do not see any announcement, it may have been spontaneous and not under good terms. We really do not know, RF could have caused it just as well as TD being insensitive. TD is going to change things and those who get in the way are not going to last. I agree if TD wanted to let Francis go, he could have made that separation a long time ago. RF had some time.

This will all play out over time. I have no idea if it is good or not, but I am happy to see change. Its clear accountability will finally appear. I was not upset about it either because it was only a matter of time. RF did wonderful things for this organization and that is not to be underestimated. I wish him the best. I do think he was too conservative as a GM.